About Asuncion
Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay. The Ciudad de Asunción is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The city of Asuncion is home to a little more than 500,000 people. It is a young city: 65% of its residents are under the age of 30. From Saturday in the evening and all Sunday most businesses are closed and the city centre can appear fairly deserted. Every July there is a trade fair with exhibition booths, food, music and liquor. This is a good way to learn about what goes on in the country, the exhibitors range from agricultural suppliers to liquor manufacturers. Keep an eye out for the many free samples of food, soap, drinks, etc. Asunción generally has a very short dry season between May and September, but the coldest months are June and July, which can get frost on average one day a year. The wet season covers the remainder of the year. The climate of Asunción can be described as hot and humid for most of the year.
Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in Asuncion
A few isolated Jews came to Paraguay from France, Switzerland, and Italy toward the end of the 19th century and merged with the native population without ever establishing a community. On the eve of World War I, a number of Sephardi Jews emigrated from Palestine. The families, Arditi, Cohenca, Levi, Mendelzon, and Varzan, formed the first community, la Alianza Israelita, in 1917 and established the first synagogue with other Sephardim from Turkey and Greece. Today, the Jewish community numbers approximately 900, most of whom live in the capital, Asuncion. The intermarriage rate is rising, but most of the intermarried couples provide their children with a Jewish education. The community, however, is declining through immigration to Argentina and Brazil. Occasionally immigrants come from those countries to Paraguay, especially due to marriage. A trickle of Jews — 50 people since 1948 — have immigrated to Israel. Asuncion has three synagogues, Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Chabad, which distributes kosher food and provides a mikvah to the community. The city also has a Jewish museum with a Holocaust memorial. Socially and for the youth, there is a Jewish sports club, a B'nai B'rith club, a Centro Israelita Juvenil, a Wizo chapter, and a Ha-No'ar ha-Ziyyoni movement.
